Warwick police are crap

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buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
I never really had a good opinion of Warwickshire Police after they refused to investigate the Aston Martin driver who tried to run me off my bike. But this takes the biscuit...

A cycle path was built from our works towards Warwick. Cyclists on the path had right of way (which has now changed since this incident). The day it opened a cyclist from our place got ran over on it. As he crossed the school entrance a guy in an Audi Estate drove out straight into him. Now it could be said that yes, the path was new to everyone and the guy might not have realised that the path was there and maybe the cyclist should have glanced to see if anything was coming (but even so... it was the cyclists right of way!) but this has really got my goat today.

I saw the guy it happened to. It was about 4 or 5 years ago now, and i haven't seen him much since, but i asked him if he back on the bike and he filled me in on the full story.

Basically, as the car hit him side on, because his legs were either side of the saddle his pelvis stayed put while his spine moved sideways, actually snapping away from his pelvis and then snapping back, like an elastic band. Luckily his spinal chord was not severed but the discs were damaged and they leaked fluid for the next month. The guy was paralysed for a month (said he really thought he was gonna be like that for the rest of his life) due to the leaking discs and then slowly the feeling has returned except for part of one foot 4 or 5 years on. He now has to go to the gym at least 3 times a week or he siezes up and can't get out of bed.

He told me that on the day of the accident, the Audi driver hit him, and the bike went under the car. The Audi driver reversed, got out of his car and picked up the bike, by which time Richard had managed to struggle to his feet, the adrenaline pumping through him not realising how seriously he was hurt. The first thing he did was to look at the bike and, while he did this, the Audi driver got back in his car and drove off! Not even bothering to see to our cyclist who, although was on his feet, was very obviously badly hurt

The cyclist reported it to the police, and he was off work for weeks. Now... how hard can this guy be to trace?... especially when you consider that
(a) The police knew the make of the car (Audi Estate)
(b) The person concerned has children at the local school (they were picking them up)
© It has been confirmed by both the police and the Motor Insurer's Bureau that there are only 150 of these cars in UK! (which means not many in Warwickshire and probably only one connected to the school)

The police told our cyclist that they had contacted all the drivers in the area and they all had an alibi (surprise surprise) and "no" they were not willing to do a line up so that our cyclist could identify them.

The school were no help either, point blank refusing to confirm who the parent was (our cyclist had the distinct impression they knew but either way, they were totally obstrutive even though our cyclist pointed out to them it could have been one of their own children on the cycle path)

I'm shocked that the police have not tried harder, but then it's Warwick Police so why i should be shocked i'm not sure.
 
Jeez, Thank God the paralysis was only temporary but stories like that make me sick xx(
 

rusky

CC Addict
Location
Hove
It sickens me that the police can't be arsed to do some real work. I would take it further, press, police complaints, man down the pub, etc.
 

PaulB

Legendary Member
Location
Colne
I know it's wrong to generalise but essentially, if I see an Audi being driven to a standard approaching adequate, I am surprised.
 
I had the same problem with west midlands police when I was hit - they couldn't be arsed either.

But yes, this is terrible. The guy should go to the press and take it as far as he can by other means. If it wasn't so long ago I'd have staked out the school till I saw the car and then got the driver that way. Were there witnesses or not?
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Terrible inaction by the plods (sorry Vike) but absolutely appalling. The police involved should be fired, but unfortunately this is not uncommon.

I say an IPCC complaint and the press.

Audis and particularly Audi Estate drivers are all c***s IME.

When I used to ride there was one who ALWAYS passed me in the morning easily 70 mph in a 30mph limit. Once I got in primary and he came up fast to three inches behind my rear wheel, terrifying it was, sticking his forehead on his car horn. Giving me all the signals and verbals as he passed very close on a blind bend. The people who drive these cars are arrogant t*$$*rs.
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
I had the same problem with west midlands police when I was hit - they couldn't be arsed either.

But yes, this is terrible. The guy should go to the press and take it as far as he can by other means. If it wasn't so long ago I'd have staked out the school till I saw the car and then got the driver that way. Were there witnesses or not?

Same here. I had an independent witness and a significant injury. West Mids police only cautioned the thug.
 

wafflycat

New Member
A friend was knocked off his bike by driver who pulled straight out of driveway on to the road my friend happened to be cycling along. Police attended, ambulance attended as cyclist injured. Did Cambridgeshire plod do anything? No. Indeed one of the police who attended actually said to my friend words to the effect of "you're a cyclist what do you expect" Mind you this did not surprise me one little bit as many years presviously I had a guy go for me with a hammer. Cambridgeshire plod did nothing then either and I was told "If he hit you, we'd do something, but as he didn't hit you, only threatened to, there's nothing we can do." I was not impressed.
 

upsidedown

Waiting for the great leap forward
Location
The middle bit
Same here with West Mids, had a Merc pull across me and the driver threaten me. Reported it and they promised to come round to the house. Never did.
 

Saddle bum

Über Member
Location
Kent
I'm sorry, but the victim and all folk in that position need a radical change of attitude.

It's up to you to tell Plod what they should do. They are your servants and as a consequence should do as they are damn well told. They have a habit of forgetting the master/servant relationship that exists between public and it's paid employees.

There are many options open to those who are dissatisfied, if the service they get falls short. The problem is that people are intimidated by them into accepting their pathetic performance.

If the Audi had parked on a double yellow line and a hefty fine was an easy option, the matter would have been over in no time.
 
OP
OP
buggi

buggi

Bird Saviour
Location
Solihull
to be honest, i think the guy was too hurt at the time to really go through the complaints thing and obviously as time went on i suppose he thought it was just too late in the day. but i've been in a similar situation with the police when on two occasions they have told me they are not taking any action. first time i complained (in vain) to the chief, the second time i couldn't be bothered.

i suppose your right tho Saddle Bum... maybe we should bombard the IPCC with complaints and see how long it is before the police start changing their attitudes to cyclists.
 

swee'pea99

Legendary Member
Disgraceful.

Two letters for anyone in any such situation: MP. Few are actually a waste of space, and plod take them seriously.
 

Ste T.

Guru
You think they are shoot now?
Wait until the cuts that this lot have lined up start taking affect on police numbers and their subsequent work load. :sad:
 
Get them to reopen the investigation, okay that may be difficult but if what you say is true it should be incredibly easy to find out who this guy is. There can only be one person who owned a car at that time at that school. I know little about the way the courts work but is the judgement in cases like these decided on the balance of probabilities? If so, then they'd probably find the guy guilty of something as it's unlikely any of the other drivers of the car would have been driving round there at that time. Also what happened to the independent police complaints commission? Why not contact them too as it sounds like there are two incidents to be investigated here. The guy getting run over and the way the police have handled it.
 
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